Work vehicles, such as tractors, other agricultural vehicles, construction vehicles, and/or the like, typically include a cab containing a plurality of input devices, such as buttons, knobs, switches, etc., configured to allow the operator to provide operator inputs for controlling the operation of one or more on-board or auxiliary components of the work vehicle. The various input devices may be provided at numerous locations within the cab, such as on a control panel or dashboard, on the vehicle's steering wheel, on one or more control levers, joysticks multi-function handles, and/or the like.
Typically, the control functionality for each input device is determined by the manufacturer. As such, each input device is pre-assigned to a corresponding component so that operator inputs provided via the input device are used to control the operation of the pre-assigned component. Unfortunately, in many instances, the pre-assigned control functionality for a given input device may not be desirable in light of a particular operator's preferences and/or expectations.
Moreover, work vehicles typically include a hydraulic system having a plurality of electronically controlled valves configured to control the supply of hydraulic fluid to various on-board hydraulic components and/or various auxiliary hydraulic components, such as one or more hydraulic motors and/or actuators included within an implement being towed by the vehicle. To control the operation of such valves, a specific set of input devices, such as one or more individual paddle switches and/or a bank of paddle switches, is included within the cab. In such instance, similar to that described above, each paddle switch is typically pre-assigned to control the operation of a given valve of the hydraulic system. Thus, for current work vehicles, if an operator desires to change which hydraulic component is being controlled by a given paddle switch, the operator is required to physically rearrange the hydraulic connections of the hoses of the hydraulic system such that the hoses are connected in a hose sequence that maps to the desired paddle switch. Such a methodology is very time consuming and can be frustrating for the operator.
Accordingly, an improved system and method for providing reconfigurable input devices for a work vehicle that allows an operator to quickly and easily reassign an input device for controlling the operation of a desired component would be welcomed in the technology.